The importance of mental health research

October 26th, 2009

This year alone, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem, that’s a staggering 12 million people in the U.K. The institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London and the Mental Health Foundation are working together to promote the importance of mental health research in the UK. They are hoping that increased investment will change our understanding of mental illness and our ability to prevent and treat it and with the proper research, they believe breakthroughs for new treatments could be made in as little as the next 20 years.

As part of the Research Mental Health initiative, leading scientists and public figures including Alistair Campbell, Jo Brand, Ruby Wax, Tracey Emin, Stephen Fry, Melanie C and Mercury award winner Speech Debelle, have signed a declaration that is calling for more investment in mental health research.

The Mental Health Foundation are calling for a trebling of investment. Mental illness makes up 15 percent of the countries disease yet only receives 5 per cent of health research spending. Through inability to work among other things poor mental health costs the U.K £100 billion a year and all that is needed to reduce this figure is better investment, prevention and treatment.